


Puck the Cupid

by Markov_Debris



Series: Company Series [13]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Gen, M/M, Season/Series 04, Spoilers for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markov_Debris/pseuds/Markov_Debris
Summary: During their seventeenth trip to Cardiff Donna demands to know why they seem to be stalking a cute young man in a suit.





	Puck the Cupid

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Stand alone story although anyone reading Company of a Stranger might want to read it before reading the Epilogue.

“Okay that’s it,” Donna said suddenly rounding on the Doctor.  “You’re going to tell me what’s going on right now mister.”

“Going on?  We’re just having a quiet relaxing walk in the park until you started shouting,” he said reasonably while trying to edge them into the trees.

“I’m not stupid.  We’re in Cardiff again.  This is what the seventeenth time.  Don’t think I was fooled by your claims of Swansea, Holyhead and Aberystwyth either,” she said loudly.  The Doctor opened and closed his mouth in not quite innocent confusion.

“So come on out with it,” she demanded.

“Out with what?” he asked.

“Fine I’ll ask him?” she said, pointing at the suited young man on the park bench that the Doctor was trying to hide them from.

“Ask him what?” the Time Lord asked defensively.

“Ask him why, when we’re not visiting Cardiff to deal with passing aliens; you’d think they’d have someone here to deal with all them by the way, we seem to be stalking him.

“He’s cute I grant you but surely he’s a bit young for you.  Not that I’m judging, but you’ve never really shown much interest before,” she said knowing that would get a reaction.

“Oh alright,” the Doctor said knowing the game was up.  “His name is Ianto Jones and he works for Torchwood.”

“The people behind HC Clements?” she asked, a little hurt creeping into her voice.

“Sort of, he works for the Cardiff branch, for a friend of mine,” he waited for her to nod in acceptance before asking. “Do you remember that business on the New Golden Hind?” he asked.

“The exploration star ship?” she asked confused a little by his change of tact, but used to him enough to go with it. “I remember that you were upset that they handled that first contact situation so well.  They hardly needed us at all,” she added a little smug.

“Yes well, I admit that that wasn’t how I expected things to go.  So I did a little snooping while you were chatting up that engineer.”

“Tony?” she asked with a fond smile.

“Yeah.  I suppose it was a little naïve but it didn’t occur to me that when your people head for the stars that they would take the knowledge of alien encounters on Earth with them.”

Donna just gave the Doctor a look that said ‘yes you are a twit’.

“It seems that when your people achieve enough stability and world peace they begin the International Space Program.  What was then UNIT will become the military arm of the Space Corps, while the command and science divisions remain mostly civilian,” he told her.

“And Torchwood?” she asked.

“They’re more clandestine, though I think your Tony was one of them.  Torchwood however contributed some of their knowledge to the ISP as well as guides and instruction manuals for training personnel, captains in particular, in how to deal with aliens.  They also included how to deal with us,” the Doctor informed her in his know all way.

“Really?  But they locked us up?” Donna said confused.

“Yes in the Captain’s instructions regarding me it says and I quote ‘ _He’s a dangerous man but if your cause is truly righteous then he will do what he can to help, even if he isn’t supposed to.  If you don’t trust him or need to appear strong in front of your crew then by all means lock him up.  He’ll get angry but don’t worry he’ll enjoy escaping and still help_ ’ unquote,” the Time Lord looked a little peeved.

“Yep they know you alright,” Donna said with a chuckle and the Doctor couldn’t help smiling.  He looked across the park to steal a look at Ianto Jones.

“It took me a while to realise that the Torchwood guides weren’t just instructions for the Captain to follow.  He was living by them, which is how I realised they were the core of ISP training.

“They are the foundation philosophy of future colonies, the foundation of the First Great and Bountiful Human Empire, and Ianto Jones is the author.”

Donna turned to look at the solitary young man sitting on a park bench.  He was still and looked quiet and ordinary, not like the founder of future thinking at all.

“He’s been through so much Donna.  The battle where I lost Rose, he was there.  Not with me but there in the building and he lost his girlfriend.

“He’s seen and experienced so much darkness at Torchwood it’s a miracle he isn’t mad, or xenophobic, and he isn’t.

“He wrote those guidelines for future members of Torchwood.  They are based on experience and research and they are tolerant of other species and philosophies, that instill the belief that violence should be the last resort.

“That quiet, unassuming young man is the most important, unacknowledged shaper of your future history,” the Doctor said his voice full of awe.

“Oh my god,” Donna exclaimed.  “You’re a fan.”

“What,” the Time Lord exclaimed.

“I’m being dragged around Cardiff by an alien fan boy stalker.”

“I am not an alien fan boy stalker.  Although he did write one of the best biographies on me that I have ever read,” the Doctor conceded.

“And what about spoilers?” she demanded.

“I only skimmed the bits I knew had already happened,” he replied defensively.

“Like your shared battle?” she asked making him wince as she hit the truth.

“Actually I think his boyfriend wrote up that bit posthumously.

“His boyfriend, ha,” Donna said teasing.

“Stop it, his boyfriend happens to be a good friend of mine,” the Time Lord protested.

“The same good friend who runs Torchwood Cardiff I suppose.”

“Actually yes”

“So have we been doing their job?” she demanded and the Doctor gave a bodily sigh.

“I had to leave my friend behind.  He was in no danger but I had to leave him.  He’s resourceful though, he knew I would eventually turn up in Cardiff for fuel for the TARDIS, so he came here and he waited.  While waiting he met Ianto and began a relationship with him,” the Time Lord began.

“Bit awkward isn’t that? Boss and employee.  Office relationships don’t always work out for the best, especially when things aren’t equal,” Donna said quietly, thinking of Lance.

“They’re quite good at keeping their personal and professional lives separate.  It helps that Ianto is very private.

“Anyway, thing were going well then I turn up for a fleeting visit and Jack goes after me to ask his questions, without explanation to his team,” the Doctor confessed quietly.

“Leaving Ianto behind,” she said harshly.

“And breaking his heart,” the Doctor said sadly.  “Jack got the answers to his questions, and decided to go back to Ianto.”

“Did he take him back?” Donna asked a little incredulously.

“Yes, their relationship before they left wasn’t supposed to be a romantic one, it was more friendship and comfort thing,” the Doctor began awkwardly.

“I don’t have any friends who give that sort of comfort,” she said a little jealously in her anger, understanding the Time Lord’s meaning in the way he couldn’t say it.

“Me neither but they did.  Ianto is also a very forgiving person,” the Doctor decided to leave the ‘ _he has to be to put up with Jack_ ’ unsaid as he didn’t think it would endear either of them to Donna.

“Again why are we doing their job?” she persisted.

“I just wanted to give them a break.  To let them have some alone time but every time I do, something else seems to crop up and they don’t leave their base,” the Doctor told her.

“You’re trying to play cupid,” Donna said incredulously.  The Doctor didn’t answer, he just looked at the floor with pouting guilt.

“Puck’s more like it,” she said fondly.

“Puck?”

“You know Oberon’s sidekick in a Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Oberon asked him to give love juice to Demetrius so that he would fall in love with Helena but accidently gave it to Lysander, Hermia’s boyfriend instead,” Donna explained.

“I know who Puck is I just...”

“You don’t think I’m sophisticated enough to have watched Shakespeare?” she demanded hurt.

“Date was it then?” he asked wisely avoiding answering.

“Yeah,” she admitted then defensively added, “And?”

“Nothing, did it go well?” he asked politely and she snorted.

“Let’s just say he could dream on about his midsummer night and ended up looking a bit of an ass,” she told him primly and he grinned at her.

“Look with Ianto and his boyfriend, I don’t think doing their job is helping.  It’s their job they both expect it and haven’t you heard of the romance of danger?” she asked.

“I just...”

“You’ve tried seventeen times to help, if they haven’t managed to sort themselves out on their own without you, it aint going to last.  Besides from what you said they are more, a behind closed doors kind of couple,” she said and waited while the Doctor’s face contorted as he took this revelation in.

She took his hand and as there was no immediate crisis, she walked them calmly back to the TARDIS.  Donna then told him exactly how he was going to make his foolishness up to her.

Neither saw the tall, dark handsome man in the great coat sit down next to Ianto Jones.  They sat and talked their hands entwined for several minutes before Ianto stood up and dragged his boyfriend away with the haste of lovers heading for a tryst.

**Author's Note:**

> If you follow the links for the Company Universe, Company of a Stranger or Company of Ghosts and Strangers series links then the next story will be the Epilogue for Company of a Stranger and Company of a Ghost.


End file.
